European countries found themselves at a critical moment regarding the war in Ukraine, and especially in connection with the approaching inauguration of the new US President Donald Trump, which will take place on January 20, 2025. Considering Europe's active attempts to take responsibility for the peaceful resolution of the conflict, questions about Trump's position can significantly affect the further steps of the world power.
"Trump has repeatedly stated that he will end the war "a day" after his inauguration on January 20... The rhetoric of the election campaign of Trump and his allies suggests that he may try to force Ukraine to adopt a peace agreement that will be extremely beneficial to Moscow, or to abandon Kyiv altogether." - goes in the publication.
As noted, European leaders have long claimed that no settlement should be imposed "through the heads" of Ukrainians. The same applies to them.
"But Europe is hardly in a better position to force its way to the negotiating table. Macron's hand is weakened by political paralysis in France. Germany is busy with federal elections and may not have a new government until early summer. Growth is weak at best, and public finances are strained everywhere,” the Financial Times added.
The newspaper writes that the Europeans are trying their best to make their own contribution to any peaceful settlement in Ukraine. According to a high-ranking official, with the exception of Hungary and Slovakia, EU member states, along with allies in Great Britain and Norway, are committed to maintaining support for Ukraine.
Some European officials say that it is important to clearly state Europe's readiness to support Ukraine. Among them is the Minister of Defense of Estonia. Macron also believes that it is important for Europe to take more responsibility for its own security.
In addition, the FT called the approval by Trump's special representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, of permission to use long-range American weapons for strikes against Russia a pragmatic signal. He stated that this would give the new president leverage over Moscow.
"It seems that now we are in a phase of transition from political and pre-election rhetoric to more real and serious politics. We see such a careful evolution towards greater support for Ukraine, because they understand that, in the end, they are not going to abandon Ukraine," said Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign policy committee.
It will be recalled that it was previously reported that Donald Trump's team informed European officials that the new US president plans to maintain military aid to Ukraine. At the same time, it was noted that Trump intends to continue the supply of American weapons to Kyiv after his inauguration. This information was confirmed by three people familiar with the negotiations.
